


Hi Bruce

by natashasbanner



Series: Bruce/Nat Missing Scenes [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, F/M, Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-05-01 21:27:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14529528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natashasbanner/pseuds/natashasbanner
Summary: "But the next voice pulled the air from his lungs fast than jumping through any massive wormhole in space.“You should get some,” was all she said."Bruce's perspective leading up to his reunion with Natasha. *minor IW spoilers*





	Hi Bruce

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote one from Natasha's view point and this one is Bruce's. Please enjoy :D

Waiting for Steve to show up with Vision and whatever remained of the former Avengers were some of the most agonizing hours Bruce had felt in a long time. He was terrified that the rest of Thanos’ men had already gotten to him and it was too late. Rhodes lead him around parts of the new facility, a distraction he guessed. As if shiny new lab equipment and state of the art facilities were going to be enough to keep his heart rate from spiking every few seconds and keep his hands from shaking. 

Bruce vaguely wondered if the stress would be enough to pull Hulk from the deep recesses of his mind. It had been before, what seemed like a lifetime ago. One spike and it was over, Hulk in control. But he was hiding, run scared after being so easily overpowered the man they were so desperately trying to stay one step ahead of. 

They were going to need him if Thanos hadn’t already found Vision. Nothing less than their full defenses, tapping every available resource they had and then some if they wanted even the slightest chance at winning if it came down to a full on showdown with Thanos. Hulk was going to have to come out whether he liked it or not, the team needed him. 

Bruce swallowed thickly at the realization that even their best defense probably wouldn’t be enough. 

“You alright there, Doc?” Rhodes asked as he lead Bruce into a small common room with a kitchenette in the corner.

Bruce clenched and unclenched his fists before bring his hands up to wring them together anxiously. 

“Not really,” he answered honestly. 

His brain had been working on overdrive since he’d shown up on Earth on top of still trying to wrap his head around being trapped on an alien planet as the Hulk for two years. Even in the quiet room with just the two of them it felt too loud, too bright. It was too much and he almost wished Hulk would take over, even for a little bit to give Bruce a break from feeling, everything. 

Rhodes’ hand was on his back in an instant, guiding Bruce to the couch in the corner. Bruce sat without a fight and nodded his thanks at the gentle squeeze Rhodes gave his shoulder before moving over to the kitchen portion of the room. 

“So it’s all been leading up to this?” Rhodes ask with his back turned to Bruce, but Bruce saw the tension in his muscles and heard the mechanical clicking from the brace he wore. He couldn’t stand still. 

“Since Manhattan,” Bruce answered, leaning back into the couch cushions. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes before scrubbing them down his face. 

Rhodes came over and handed him a steaming mug of coffee. 

“Then I say we go out with a bang,” he said and lifted his own mug to his lips. 

Bruce took a long sip from his own mug and nearly choked as it burned it’s way down his throat, and not just from the scalding coffee. He raised an eyebrow at Rhodes. 

“A little liquid courage?” He questioned, taking another slower sip. 

“For the nerves,” Rhodes corrected and set his mug down on the table in the middle of the room. His watch beeped a few times and he looked at it with a sigh. “I have to take this.” 

He started to walk away, but turned back to Bruce at the last second. 

“You should probably stay in here.” 

Bruce’s brow furrowed. “Who’s calling?” Now wasn’t the time for keeping secrets and Bruce was done with being left out of the loop. 

Rhodes looked him over for a moment and his watch beeped again. “Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross.” 

Bruce clenched his jaw, every muscle in his body contracting all at once and Hulk grumbled distantly in the back of his head. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply through his nose focusing on calming down, one muscle at a time. Faintly, he heard Rhodes walk into the workshop across the hall and answer the call. 

He heard Ross’ voice loud and clear thanks to the speakers in the other room and pushed off the couch, pacing over to the window. 

“Where are you, Cap?” he muttered, watching the clear sky and chewing on his bottom lip. It’d been almost three hours since he’d made the call and he was beginning to fear that the worst had happened. 

The argument in the next room grew louder and Bruce shuffled back over to the couch to retrieve the coffee he’d abandoned and finish it in on long, painful swallow. He paced along the length of the window, wringing his hands and pulling on the tattered edges of the too large jacket he wore. 

A spot in the sky drew nearer until Bruce could vaguely make out the shape of the quinjet. He cautiously made his way to the doorway to signal Rhodes that Steve was there, unsure how much of the room Ross and his men at the table could see. He caught Rhodes’ attention and mouthed “Cap” and though his nod was subtle, Bruce knew he’d gotten his message across. 

An elevator bell sounded in the distance and Bruce backed down the hall and out of sight, just until Ross was gone. He listened closely in the meantime. 

“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” Bruce heard Ross say and felt like he’d be physically ill if that man spoke again. 

But the next voice pulled the air from his lungs fast than jumping through any massive wormhole in space. 

“You should get some,” was all she said. 

A threat, quiet and cold and so familiar it made his chest ache with longing. Longing for stolen moments and quiet conversations in the dark. Longing for the promise of a future they’d never gotten the chance to see, his flicker of hope that maybe one day there was more for him than his self imposed solitude. 

The last time he’d heard her voice, it had been nothing more than a faint echo in the distance but enough to free him from tight hold Hulk had on him. He’d never imagined he’d hear it again, so painfully close, but still out of reach. 

He held his breath and sighed in relief when Rhodes finally ended the call with Ross, but he remained frozen in place, leaning against the wall to help keep him up right. 

Now or never, he thought upon hearing Sam Wilson’s snappy remark to Rhodes telling them they looked like crap. Bruce chuckled and it helped loosen his shoulders and propel him from the wall. 

“I think you guys look great,” he said as he stepped around the corner.

Everyone turned to stare at him in disbelief, but Bruce’s eyes found the ones he’d missed for longer than he realized. Glassy green met him head on and Bruce suddenly felt exposed. 

“Yeah, I’m back,” he said in response to the questioning looks he was getting. He’d expected Steve to tell them that much at least. 

But he saw the subtle changes on Natasha’s face despite how well she tried to hide them. She was just as surprised as the rest of them. 

“Hi, Bruce,” she said and it was like music to his ears. 

He looked her over, noting the changes. The hair, the most obvious difference was striking, but suited her. There was a stiffness in her stance and a subtle restraint when she spoke that was new, but Bruce guessed that had to do with being on the run for two years, a feeling he knew well. Don’t get comfortable because the second you let your guard down the world would strike. All things considered, she looked great. 

“Nat,” was all he could muster after the silence stretched for too long between them. He clutched his forearms in front of him to keep his hands from shaking and noticed the faintest  smile ghost over her lips for only a moment before it was gone. 

But it was enough to send the searing warmth in his chest rushing through his veins until every nerve in his body felt alive and tingling. It was like a switch flicked on in him and the panicky agitation was replaced with a calm determination.

“This is awkward,” Sam said and Bruce wanted to laugh hysterically. 

Of course it was, two years of pent up emotion all coming out in the tiniest of greetings, filling the room with a static tension while everyone held their breath, waiting to see how it would play out. 

They collectively exhaled and Bruce knew in his heart that the moment had passed, they’d missed their window once again but in his gut he knew they’d have their chance, when everything was said and done. But unfortunately the universe was about to hurl the most wicked curveball ever at them and they needed to be ready. He steeled himself against the disappointment and lingering longing that threatened to bubble out of him, but to his surprise Rhodes took pity on them and cleared the room. 

He stood and waited, watching the emotions flicker through her eyes, holding his breath for the moment she spoke now that it was just the two of them. He’d stand there all day of it meant he could hear her voice just a little longer, before the mission took over and they were back to business. And when she finally did speak, he was not disappointed. He only wished for the one thing they never seemed to have enough of. Time. 


End file.
